This is http://www.essayz.com/b0007211.htm Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay Click HERE on this line to find essays via Your-Key-Words. {Most frequent wordstarts of each essay will be put here.} ========================================================== %THREAT LEVELS PRUDENT RESPONSES DESCRIPTIONS LAWS+000721 %COMMANDMENTS ADVICE SUGGESTIONS GUIDANCE CONTROLS+000721 %EMBARRASSMENT DOMINATION SUBVERSION PARANOIA SINS+000721 %ADDICTION CODEPENDENCE CONTENTION CONTROVERSY GOD 000721 There are various kinds and levels of threats which individuals may pose to a community and its members --- by their actions, thoughts, speech, writings, meetings, teachings, relationships, planning, preparations, etc. It is neither wise nor prudent to treat all of the various kinds and levels of threats as if they were of like kind and/or level. Some can with little danger be tolerated. In fact there often is more danger in trying to prevent some kinds and levels of threats --- than there is in tolerating them. Attempts at prevention may threaten precious freedoms of speech, press, assembly, petition, assembly, religion, etc. Only in the instances of serious threats as to kind and level, should serious thought be given to attempts at prevention. Consider the range of kinds and levels of threats: 1. Terrorists assembling and attempting to deliver a major nuclear, chemical or biological weapon to the center of a metropolitan area. 2. Cyber-terrorists attempting to paralyze the world by infecting the world's computer systems with terrible computer viruses. 3. Political and multi-national corporate leaders systematically concentrating more and more political power into the hands of the wealthy and influential supporters of provincial "Domination Systems? 4. Religious leaders systematically corrupting the messages of the world's great religions --- in regards to non-violent resolutions of conflicts between/among complementary ideals, values, principles and imperfect human incarnations of them --- so as to augment the religious leaders' "Domination Systems". 5. Educational leaders and their financial supporters turning liberal arts institutions of higher education into training centers to produce faithful supporters of "Domination Systems", dogmas, ideologies; and disintegrative paradigms, technologies, myths and collusions. 6. Open and honest lovers undermining respect for supporters of "The Domination System" --- by describing what they experience without fear or hesitation. 7. People of integrity demonstrating how to live healthy lives within integrative communities which are threatened by domineering people who want to make sure that all people behave obediently and "properly" in terms of conformity to their "good" laws. 8. People who are sick in physical, emotional and/or mental ways --- showing disregard for how they are passing on their sicknesses to healthy and/or vulnerable people through imprudent contacts, communications and attempts to be in control of intimate lives and relationships. 9. People who are arrogantly self-righteous being elected to or arrogating to themselves leadership positions of respect, honor, influence and power. 10. People effectively claiming that they have been appointed by God to speak on behalf of God and/or to interpret Her highly honored and respected religious scriptures. We need to be careful when we are confronted with various kinds and levels of threats, lest we: 1. Play collusive games of mutual self deception in denial about the reality of the threats. 2. Play into the assumptions, attitudes, and methods which are associated with the threats --- and thereby augment the treats and/or create yet more serious threats. 3. Becoming like the people who threaten us --- by our attempting to control them. 4. Failing to recognize, name, describe and talk about the differences between various kinds and levels of threats --- and responding to threats in ways which make matters worse rather than better. 5. Attempting to set ourselves up as better than other people --- whom we see as the generators of threats which we cannot and should not tolerate. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================